Friends of the two teenagers mowed down in a serious hit and run in Braddon early on Sunday have spoken of their horror at first hearing of the crime, and have banded together as one of the boys continues to fight for his life in a Sydney hospital.
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Burma Han was walking home with friends through Braddon about 5.30am after a night out partying.
As the teenagers walked north along Henty Street, a white ute approached from behind.
Police say CCTV vision shows the ute accelerate at two of the teenagers, crashing into both, before fleeing the scene.
Mr Han was left with serious head injuries including a broken neck, and is understood to be in an induced coma in Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, where he is receiving specialist care.
The second teenager's injuries were less severe, and he was being treated at The Canberra Hospital on Monday.
A close friend of Mr Han's, Panayiotis Apostolopoulos, said news of the hit and run had devastated close friends.
''You don't want to have to hear that sort of stuff,'' Mr Apostolopoulos said. ''Those words are just the worst thing, I've known [Burma] since high school,'' he said.
''You feel like those people are meant to stay there forever.''
Authorities were still hunting for the car responsible - a white ute, possibly a Mitsubishi Triton, with a trayback with silver sides, and damage to its front left hand side - late on Monday, and are urging the public to help. Police say the ute drove along Henty Street while the teenagers were out of sight, and then doubled back. The incident is being treated as deliberate.
''Whoever has done it, I hope justice is brought to them and they get the proper punishment they deserve,'' Mr Apostolopoulos said.
He said Mr Han is a fun-loving, caring person, who rarely showed any aggression to others.
''He is a great bloke, always going out of his way for people, a very funny guy,'' Mr Apostolopoulos said.
''Always liked to have fun, always liked hanging out with people, was always positive, was never aggressive or anything like that,'' he said.
Two witnesses to the incident, who were walking on the opposite side of the street, were due to be re-interviewed on Monday. Police are investigating whether there was any existing link between the victims and the person driving the ute. The CCTV vision does not reveal any information about the registration of the car.
There is currently no description of the driver or any passengers in the ute.
An alert was sent out to all ACT Policing vehicles, with a detailed description of the car, and the search remained active late Monday night.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the website.